CARBONDALE, Ill. — The stage is set for one of the biggest games in Saluki Stadium history as No. 12-ranked Southern Illinois hosts No. 1 South Dakota State on Homecoming at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Tickets are selling fast and a large crowd is expected for a Week 7 matchup that features two powerhouses from the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
The defending-national champion Jackrabbits (6-0, 3-0) roll into town with a nation's best 20-game winning streak. They haven't lost since the opening week of the 2022 season, when Iowa squeaked by SDSU, 7-3.
"Tons of respect for who we're playing and what they've been able to accomplish and put on film this season," said SIU head coach Nick Hill during his Monday press conference. "You get to Week 7 and you have to challenge yourself against the best, and we get that opportunity this week."
The Salukis (5-1, 2-1) are coming off a comfortable 27-6 win at Murray Statelast Saturday, and Hill said he expects the return of All-Conference wide receiver D'Ante' Cox to bolster the offense this week. Cox has missed the last three games with a knee injury.
The two teams have not met since Oct. 9, 2021, when SIU rallied from a 20-point deficit to beat the Jackrabbits, 42-41, in overtime. South Dakota State was ranked No. 2 at the time.
Saturday's contest will feature an interesting dynamic pitting SIU's nation-leading run defense (69.0 yards/game) versus SDSU's vaunted running game that ranks fourth nationally (255.7 yards/game).
In addition to the football action, special activities during the game will include a pregame flyover of an AWACS military aircraft during the national anthem, a reunion of the 1983 National Championship football team, and a special Hall of Fame recognition. Rey Dempsey, the coach of the 1983 team, will be the honorary coin toss captain.
Lieutenant Colonel Sean "Flash" Gordon
The section leader and director of operations in command of the AWACS flyover is Saluki alum Lieutenant Colonel Sean "Flash" Gordon from the 964th Airborne Air Control Squadron. Gordon was also the 2004 SIU Homecoming king.
Series versus South Dakota State
The teams have met seven times in the last 10 years with South Dakota State holding a 6-1 advantage in that timeframe. In the most recent meeting on Oct. 9, 2021, SIU rallied from a 20-point deficit to beat the Jackrabbits, 42-41, in overtime. South Dakota State was ranked No. 2 at the time. Nic Baker passed for 359 yards and four touchdowns and added another 46 yards rushing. His final strike was a 19-yard back-shoulder TD to Landon Lenoir with 34 seconds left in regulation that sent the game to overtime.
Nic Baker re-writes Saluki record book
Quarterback Nic Baker owns all but one of the major career passing records at SIU. He is the leader in passing yards (8,004), completions (679) and attempts (1,032). With 57 touchdown passes, he needs eight more TDs to tie Joel Sambursky's school record. Baker also holds SIU's single-game marks for passing yards (Northern Iowa-485, Oct. 29, 2022) and completion percentage (Western Illinois: 25-of-28, .893, Oct. 15, 2022).
Salukis versus No. 1
SIU is 2-3 all-time when facing the No. 1 team in the FCS. The wins came at Western Kentucky (2005) and versus North Dakota State (2021). The 38-14 win over the Bison ended NDSU's 39-game winning streak.
Salukis lead the nation in run defense
SIU leads the nation in run defense (69.0 yards/game) and has allowed only one team to rush for more than 100 yards in a game (Youngstown State, 167 yards). SIU has held three teams under 40 yards rushing (Austin Peay-39 , Missouri State-31 and Murray State-28).
Salukis 3rd in the nation in sacks
SIU's defense ranks 3rd in the nation in sacks per game (3.5). Devin Cowan (3.5), Tim Varga (3.0) and Zach Burrola (3.0) lead the team in sacks and 13-different players have recorded sacks on the season.
